John arthur barfoot



(No Model.)

Patelltad July 1, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J OHN ARTHUR BARFOOT, OF LEICESTER, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOHENRY JOSIAH GRISWOLD, OF SAME PLACE.

COVERING-POINT FOR KNITTING-FRAMES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 431,135, dated July 1,1890. Application filed June 7 1889. Serial No. 313,468. (No model.)Patented in England October 8, 1888, No. 14,434.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN ARTHUR BAR- FOOT, a subject of the Queen ofGreat Britain, residing at Leicester, county of Leicester,

England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Covering-Points for Knitting-Frames, (for which I have obtained a patent inGreat Britain, No. 14,434, bearing date October 8, 1888,) of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to straight-bar knitting-frames similar to the oneshown and described in Oottons British Patent No. 70 of 1860, and hasfor its object to effect an improvement in the means employed forfashioning the fabric while in the course of manufacture upon suchframes.

The usual method of fashioning is by the employment of a certain numberof covering points or needles constructed and adapted to fit over theneedles and to receive their loops and transfer them onto the nextadjacent needles. The result of this operation when widening the fabricis that one of the needles is deprived of its loop, a hole in the fabricbeing the result. Now by means of my improvement this disadvantage isobviated and the fabric is produced in an approximate state ofcompleteness.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front view of part of aknitting-frame, showing the covering-points and the sliding bars onwhich they are mounted. Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical transversesection, and Fig.

5 3 is a front elevation, of a set of coveringpoints and the plates inwhich they are fixed. Fig. 4 shows the position of the needles when theoperation of widening is being performed. Figs. 5and 6 showmodifications hereinafter referred to (Figs. 2, 3, 5, and 6 being drawnon a larger scale than Figs. 1 and 4.) Fig. 7 shows two views, front andside, of a coveringpoint as used for narrowing on self-acting orlatclrneedle machines. Fig. 8 shows my improved covering-point forwidening on latchneedle machines.

Instead of all covering-points E being of the same size z'. 6., so thateach point covers one needle only-Jprefer to construct certain of them,as shown at A, of increased width.

Arranged at preferably a right-angle to the wide covering-point A is avertical steel pin or prong B, movable in a groove 13, formed in theplate B fixed to the front of the plate 0, carrying the covering-points.The pin or prong B is doubled to pass through a slot 13 in the upperpart of the plate B the doubled portion of the said pin B formingadownward continuation on the exterior of the plate B and terminatingwith a knob B by which the pin may be moved downward or upward to beplaced in or out of contact with the needles.

The number of sets of coveringpoints shown in Fig. 1 is the numberemployed on one division of a knitting-fran1e of the kind beforereferred to, the two end sets of covering-points being used forfashioning the right and left hand sides of the fabric, respectively,when making the body or sleeves of Cardigan jack- 7o ets, and the twocenter sets of covering-points being employed for fashioning the innersides of the sleeves of the jackets. Each of the two center sets ofcovering-points is provided with an additional wide coveringpoint and anadditional vertical pin or prong on its outer side, so as to be capableof wideningin either direction, although the two vertical pins on thesame set of covering-points are not generally brought into requisitionat one and the same time.

When the pin or prong is intended to be used for the purpose of wideningthe fabric, it is placed in its lower position, as shown by the outerpins or prongs in the two center sets of covering-points in Fig. 1, sothat when the covering-points are lowered on the needlesD for thepurpose of receiving the loops of the latter the pin or prong entersbetween the needles, and when the covering-points receive their sidewisemotion the said pin or prong forces the needle D (which has beendeprived of its loop) in the direction of and close to the next adjacentneedle, as shown in Fig. 4,

and when the said covering-point A descends to transfer its loops itcovers the needle D and the said next adjacent needle and places itsloop over them both, so that one loop now hangs over two needles, and atthe next course, instead of a hole appearingin thework,aperfectly-widened fabric is the result.

When the covering-points are employed for narrowing the fabric, the pinor prong is moved into its higher position, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3,so as to be out of contact with the needles.

Figs. 5 and 6 show modifications of my invention by which widening mayalso be effected.

Instead of allowing the wide covering-point and the vertical pin orprong to be separate and distinct, they may be attached to each other,as shown in Fig. 5, the wide covering-point on the left-hand side beingfixed to the pin or prong and carried thereby, and on the righthand sidethe pin or prong is fixed to the side of the wide covering-point andcarried thereby 5 or they may be formed integral with each other.

In the modification shown in Fig. 6 the pin or prong is dispensed withand the two outer selvage covering points are formed extra wide, so asto be capable of covering two needles in their usual or normalpositions.

When the operation of narrowing is being performed, and apart from thestructural alterations mentioned, the general construction and operationof these modifications are the same as that of the other figuresreferred to.

Fig. 7 shows two views of a covering-point such as is ordinarily used innarrowing the web knit on latch-needle frames. They differ from thecovering-points used in barbed-necdle machines only in being deeper andin having a hole right through to engage the hook of the needle and drawit forward until its latch is free from the loop.

Fig. 8 shows my improved covering-point for latch-needle frames, whichis wider than usual and has the hole large enough to engage the hook oftwo needles at a time.

I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself strictly to theconstruction of the upper part of the prong or pin and the widecovering-points, as it is obvious that various modifications may beadopted and other means employed than those described to e11- able thepin or prong or the wide coveringpoints to be moved upward out ofcontact with the needles when desired.

adapted to embrace a plurality of adjacent needles.

2. In a knitting-machine, the combination of a covering-point ofincreased width adapted to embrace a plurality of adjacent needles and apin or prong adapted to engage with said needles, substantially asdescribed.

3. In a knitting-machine, the combination of a covering-point ofincreased width adapted to embrace a plurality of adjacent needles and apin or prong adapted to engage with said needles, the saidcovering-point and prong being united, substantially as described.

4. In a knitting-machine, the combination of a covering-point ofincreased width adapted to embrace a plurality of adjacent needles and apin or prong adapted to engage with said needles, said covering-pointand prong being adjustable, substantially as described.

5. In a knitting-machine, the combination of a covering-point ofincreased width adapted to embrace a plurality of adjacent needles and apin or prong adapted to engage with said needles, the saidcovering-point and prong being united and adj ustably mounted to bewithdrawn from or placed into operative position, substantially asdescribed.

6. In a knitting-machine, the combination of the ordinarycovering-points E, a coveringpoint A of increased width adapted toembrace a pair of adjacent needles, and a pin or prong B adapted toengage with said needles, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN ARTHUR BARFOOT.

W'itnesses:

J os. BARBER HARBY,

Solicitor, Leicester. J NO. BARKER WARING,

His Clerk.

